Stay With Me
by alesana
Summary: A battle of wills- Naraku is defeated, and InuYasha and Kagome have set out to find the rest of the jewel shards. As for Miroku and Sango... one silent entreaty may be all it takes...


**_Stay With Me_**

"So this is goodbye." He murmured, his heart threatening to break in two. It was done. Naraku had been defeated by Kagome's arrow and InuYasha's backlash wave, and all that was left to do was to go their separate ways. InuYasha and Kagome had decided they would collect the rest of the jewel shards, and Miroku and Sango…

"Yeah." She said, trying to inflict courage into her voice; the courage that she wasn't feeling. She wanted to reach out for him, to embrace him… but she knew that there were things better left undone, better left unsaid… and the longing to be with him was one of them. She didn't want to want him. She didn't want to _love _him. He obviously had other things on his mind, other women, for example. How could she compare, when she wasn't like that?

"The last time I'll ever see you." He waited for her to take the bait. She didn't.

"Uh-huh." How could she compare… when all these other woman would wear their dresses and let down their hair, would cook and clean and be Miroku's obedient wife? She was never taught to do all those things, she was raised a tajiya… a demon slayer. Her life was given to protect others from demons, ironic considering… she spared a glance at Shippou. He had chosen to stay with Kaede, at least until the jewel shards were all collected and Kagome would come back for him.

"Do you even care?" He ventured, his heart ripping and splitting and crumbling down in pieces as he stared at Sango's expressionless face. Her eyes were downcast, but her chin was held proud, her back firm… stubborn.

"Monk… when have you ever given me a reason to?" Of course she cared! She wanted to tell him, she wanted to tell him so bad. The urge to kiss him, to hold him, to tell him everything… it was unbearable, and she fought to hide her watery eyes from him. If he never saw them, he would believe her, right?

"You're right." He said, after a long pause. She forgot her mission and looked at him, and saw his own glassy eyes. He took her hand in his, stroked it for a fleeting second, and dropped it once more. "You're right. I've never shown you…I've been hurting you all this time… all because I was selfish, foolish... I didn't want you to end up falling in love with me."

"W-why?" She squeaked, her voice faltering and a single tear falling. He used the knuckle of his index finger to wipe it away, his fingers lingering on her cheek a few seconds longer than necessary.

"Our children, that's why. They… they would be cursed like me. I-I can't pass that on."

"M-Miroku…"

"No," He interrupted, and she could feel an odd distance between them- he was slowly separating himself from her, whether he realized it or not. It was killing her. "Let me continue. I've loved you for all this time, Sango… but… I've been so scared. I treated you like any other woman; but you, Sango, you meant the most to me. I never showed you that."

She found the courage to speak and touched his hand, shyly wrapping her fingers around it. "I-I've loved you too… but," She paused to gather her strength, and he squeezed her hand for encouragement, and he made no move to cover the tears threatening to fall from his violet gaze. She sighed. "But now that Naraku's gone, the curse is too."

"Sango…" He whispered, releasing her hand and stepping back- away from her.

"No!" She grabbed him, wrapped her arms around him, and held him as tight as she could. She sobbed against his chest, her fingers tangled in his robes. "Don't leave me Miroku! Don't you dare leave me! I- I can't be abandoned again."

After a moment's reluctance he obliged, his arms wrapping around her lithe waist, pressing her to him, offering her a comfort that he was slowly beginning to feel. She was right, wasn't she? Now that the curse was gone… he would be free. Free.

A drop of water fell on her head. She dismissed it as rain, snuggling closer to him. Another. She looked up, saw that he too was shedding tears, silent ones, his face slightly tilted to the sky as he blinked rapidly to dispel them. She timidly reached up a hand, traced his jaw line, her fingers resting on his lips. He looked down at her and took her hand, and she noticed just how small they looked in his own. Calloused fingers tightened around her hand and she smiled, his free hand lifting her chin towards him.

She really was beautiful. Her lips were soft, yielding under his gentle insistence. The crush of his lips over hers was a silent entreaty… a plea… _stay with me_.

**_-the end-_**


End file.
